It's that time of the year again, when the weather is ideal for resurfacing and patching roads in Washington County. At its meeting held on Friday, the Washington County Fiscal Court voted unanimously to approve a resolution allowing Washington County Judge-Executive John Settles to enter into a standard county road aid agreement with the state.

What’s purple, glittery and is perched high up in trees? No, that’s not the setup for a punch line – that’s what some passersby in Washington County have been asking for the past few months as they have noticed several of the mysterious boxes along county roads. The boxes are really traps set out to catch the emerald ash borer; an insect that infests and destroys ash trees.

Tim Scott is an experienced hiker, but on Sunday afternoon, he experienced something completely unexpected when he was attacked by a black bear along a trail in the Red River Gorge. In fact, Scott experienced the first recorded attack by a bear on a person in modern times, according to a report issued by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Scott, 56, of Springfield, was hiking along the Gray’s Arch trail near the Wolfe-Menifee county lines in Eastern Kentucky around 2:30 p.m. Sunday. He said he was in the area with his wife and son, as well as his dog.

The 11th annual Springfield Independence Day Celebration will take place tonight, Friday, July 2. The festivities start at 6 p.m. when the food booths open. At 6:15 p.m., the Best Decorated Dog contest takes place on the front lawn of the 1816 Courthouse, followed by the Best Decorated Bike contest at 6:30 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded for the winners.

The parade starts at 7 p.m., with Larry and Mary Elliott serving as the grand marshals. The Elliotts are members of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, portraying Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln respectively.

Senior citizens from Washington County got some sound weather advice from a familiar face recently. Former WHAS-TV weatherman Ken Schulz, now a spokesman for Humana’s MarketPOINT program, talked to area seniors at the Springfield Senior Citizen Center about how to stay safe in case severe weather approaches.

Anna Pettus and Ellen Goatley have been best friends since they were small children. That closeness came in handy Saturday as they were the final two in the running for the title of 2011 Washington County Junior Miss.

Pettus, daughter of John and Barbara Pettus of Springfield, was crowned the winner, and her best friend said she couldn’t have been happier.

“We’ve been best friends ever since we were little,” Goatley said. “We weren’t expecting (to win) much, so it was a big surprise for both of us.”

The Springfield City Council has approved a $2.25 million budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year. The estimated revenues include $725,000 from occupational taxes, $275,000 from property taxes, $360,000 from city licenses and $120,000 from tourism taxes. It also includes $323,741 carried over from the previous year.

Estimated expenditures include $599,135 for police, $483,130 for administration, $321,994 for public works, $296,476 for dispatch, $168,875 for Idle Hour Park, $167,464 for fire, and $129,667 for the Springfield Main Street Renaissance Commission.